SSPB-005: When Secret Villains Suspect Each Other
by StellarStylus
Summary: Plot bunny one-shot, up for adoption. Centuries after her time, Joan of Arc attracts the attention of powerful and ambitious men who seek to learn her secrets. But are these men searching for the Witchblade or the Miraculous, or maybe even both artifacts?


DISCLAIMER: I don't own _Miraculous_ or _Witchblade_; the former belongs to Thomas Astruc, Zagtoon and Method Animation, and the latter belongs to Top Cow Productions.  
SPOILERS: Hawk Moth's identity; enough said?  
NOTE: This is loosely based on the version of _Witchblade_ which aired on TNT starting in 2000 (starring Yancy Butler as Detective Sarah "Pez" Pezzini), NOT the original comics nor anything else after that.

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"When Secret Villains Suspect Each Other"

by StellarStylus

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As Gabriel Agreste walked into the grand opening of the museum's latest exhibition, he noticed he was getting a few funny looks.

Without looking _too_ insecure, he quickly ran his hand over his face and his torso; was something out of place? As long as no one noticed the gem for the Butterfly Miraculous cleverly hidden under his necktie and Nooroo tucked away in an inner jacket pocket, he could tolerate just about anything else.

"Sorry, sir," one of the guards said. "Just a little bit of confusion; someone else passed through earlier who looks like you."

Gabriel eyed the man suspiciously, but didn't say anything. He was too busy searching his own memory to figure out who could possibly have been mistaken for him. He couldn't think of anyone else in Paris who looked like himself; maybe it was someone else from abroad?

Gabriel took it all in stride as he made his way through the crowd, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of such a doppleganger.

And there he was — Gabriel's alleged doppleganger.

Fair skin, platinum hair, a chiseled face worthy of an aristocrat, but no eyeglasses on his own face... no wonder people had thought that he and Gabriel were one and the same. Indeed, if anyone had been looking at the two of them from a distance, they could be forgiven for thinking both men were twins.

But Gabriel recognized and remembered the other man; not only had they met before years ago, but he had even designed a nice suit for the man back then. It had been one of Gabriel's first high-profile jobs, in fact.

And now the other man approached him.

"Gabriel Agreste of the _Gabriel_ fashion company," the other man addressed him coolly.

"Kenneth Irons of Vorschlag Industries," Gabriel addressed the other man in that same cool tone in return.

The two men just stared each other down, the tension building up around them... before they broke it with shared smiled and faint chuckles.

"Good to see you again, Gabriel," Kenneth Irons greeted him with a smile.

"Likewise, Kenneth," the French fashion mogul greeted the American industrialist.

And just like that, the tension broke and the atmosphere became relaxed again, almost festive.

Gabriel and Kenneth made small talk as they caught up, and they both ignored the funny looks and stares from everyone else as they spoke. True, he could understand how such a mistake could be made. He tried not to think about it too much, but he could see the headlines now: "_Gabriel Agreste Meets Long-Lost Twin"_ or something to that effect.

Soon enough, the event began in earnest, and both men joined the rest of the guests in seeing the new exhibit.

Gabriel always made it a point to investigate new art exhibits in the museums of Paris, because one never knew when or where inspiration might strike.

But little did he know that Kenneth also had his own secret interests in discovering medieval antiques and gleaning whatever he could from them...

And soon enough, they were standing before a centuries-old single page from an illuminated manuscript. It was a full-page illustration with barely any writing on the page, not even any margalia scribbled in on the edges, and according to the guide, it must have been ripped out of a full book somewhere along the way.

According to the guide, what made this piece so interesting was not only how it depicted Joan of Arc, but also the choice of her outfit and its coloring.

Something about that caught the interest of both men, although both of them carefully hid their excitement about it...

Both Gabriel and Agreste and Kenneth Irons eyed the manuscript page, both of them leaning forward to get a better look at the illuminated manuscript, but at the same time both of them were careful not to collide with each other.

What made this illustration so fascinating was the very odd gear which Joan of Arc was depicted as bearing. Gabriel's eyes were drawn to the cloak, which was red and covered with black spots like a ladybug, while Kenneth's eyes immediately locked onto the strange metallic glove which the famous woman was wearing on her right hand.

But then both men noticed the other one peering just as intently as himself.

_Does he know about the Miraculous?_ Gabriel thought to himself.

_Does he know about the Witchblade?_ Kenneth thought to himself.

_Does he know about the item I seek!?_ they both thought to themselves at the same time, hilariously oblivious to the thoughts the other one was having.

Both men were at a silent stand-off, until one of them decided to break the silence.

"Quite a strange picture, isn't it?" Gabriel commented.

"Indeed," Kenneth said succinctly.

Both men lapsed into silence again as they continued to observe the strange piece of art, as if it might offer any more clues or revelations for the secrets it contained.

Soon enough, they both continued wandering through the exhibit, seeing what else it had to offer, and they gracefully parted ways when it was time to go.

But as soon as they were done, they both made discrete yet urgent calls to their most trusted assistants. Gabriel Agreste called Nathalie Sancoeur, while Kenneth Irons called Ian Nottingham.

Gabriel was just thinking to himself that it would be a shame if Kenneth knew anything about the Miraculous and was seeking that too. Little did he know that the other man was thinking the same thing about him too.

Things were about to get very interesting, very soon.

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AUTHOR'S NOTES: So, what did you think? I just thought it was an interesting coincidennce that BOTH series made it so that the historical figure Joan of Arc was a previous wielder of either series' titular artifact. And the more I thought about it, it's interesting how both Kenneth Irons and Gabriel Agreste (a.k.a. "Hawk Moth") play pretty much the same role in their respective series. Heck, they even look so much alike!

...Unless maybe Thomas Astruc had _Witchblade_ in mind as one of his many, many influences which he pays homage to in _Miraculous_? It's no secret that there's a lot of shout-outs to other media in this series.

Well, in any case, I just hope you found this notion just as amusing as I did, that both villains could get their signals crossed like that!


End file.
